Spironolactone
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Spironolactone is a type of oral medication called an anti-androgen that is sometimes prescribed to females. Androgens are male hormones that are present...

Spironolactone is a type of oral medication called an anti-androgen that is sometimes prescribed to females. Androgens are male hormones that are present in both males and females that lead to more acne, and spironolactone helps reduce androgens.

It is usually taken once or twice a day, around the same time(s), preferably with a meal.

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April 17, 2009

Pros:

skin has completely cleared up, worked fast, affordable

Cons:

no side effects!

I had really bad hormonal acne when I went off birth control last year, spironolactone cleared my face up quickly and now I have no more acne. I am on 100mg as 50 mg didn't quite do the trick. It truly feels like a "magic pill", so glad my doctor introduced me to it!
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April 13, 2009

Pros:

I cleared my acne right away almost! I still have a little bit of scaring but It has definitely has done the job!

Cons:

Im usually always tired and It has made me a little more worn out but I just keep on going! But besides that every thing is all good!;)

Well I started getting acne after my tubal with my third son! I think my hormones got all messed up and It started breaking my face out. I also use rentin a on my face that has really helped with my oily skin and control my acne too. The wierd thing is I havent started my period yet has this happend to anyone else? I wouldn't call it a bad thing though.
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April 8, 2009

Pros:

It works!
Cheap.
Side effects aren't awful.

Cons:

It does seem to impact exercise performance. I don't experience the tiredness per se if I take it during the day. But I have noticed that I don't have the endurance and "oomph" that I normally have with my cardio and lifting workout.

I have a pituitary tumor that hinders the production of my estrogen, progesterone & thyroid hormones, but for some reason has my DHEA at a very high level. My doc prescribed 50 mg/day of spiro to reduce the androgens associated with the high DHEA. (But I upped the dosage to 75 based on what I read here.) My skin definitely got worse when I first started taking it. But I don't know whether my low estrogen levels and other hormone replacement therapy had anything to do with that. Then about 2-1/2 weeks into taking Spiro, my skin dramatically began to clear up. The red "angry" skin went away, the cystic pimples along my chin & jaw went away, my skin became softer & the pimples I had cleared up much faster. I'm still getting an occasional cyst & I'm contemplating upping my dosage to 100 or 150/day but I'm afraid I'll have to go through another bad breakout. Does anyone know if that's how this works?
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April 6, 2009

Pros:

Less oil, got rid of hormonal acne around the mouth.

Cons:

Fatigue

Absolutey a savior for hormonal acne!!
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April 5, 2009

Pros:

This is the only thing which works consistently. I take 200mg daily and have forgotten about spots!!

Cons:

Thirsty - I have to drink more fluids as this is a diuretic

:)
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March 27, 2009

Pros:

Less oil, almost perfect skin.

Cons:

Small increase in urination frequency. Tender breasts wk before period.

I never really had an acne problem until turning 36. I started getting painful cyst like breakouts esp. a week before my period. I started going to a dermatologist. We tried Benzaclin in the AM and Differin in the PM. Then added RX Oracea to the mix. Not much improvement. Then I heard about spiro on the news one night. Asked my derm about it and I started 50mg 1xaday for 7 days then 100mg a day after that. I'm on my second month (2nd period) and what a difference! My first month better, this month one breakout that was gone after 2days. I did not get worse before better, and I do think my breasts have increased, I find this a con for me. My period has stayed the same, no spotting. I noticed a reduction in oil the first week. I am happy so far.
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March 12, 2009

Pros:

WOW! Cleared my skin in one week; only costs $10 for a month supply with insurance; works fast; small pill. Never bloated, lost 5 pounds, still waiting and hoping for bigger boobs :)

Cons:

Not much at all! A little bit of initital breakout, but not much more than normal, and they are not cystic and they go away in a day. Makes me VERY sleepy. I've been going to bed at 9:30 every night, I pee a bit more each day. Blood tests/potasium

I recommend that you take this pill at bedtime so you aren't extra sleepy during the day. After reading all of the reviews on here, I went back to my dermatologist and requested this medication. He was relectant and tried to get me to use Accutane. I am 32 and have had porcelain-perfect skin my entire life, all through puberty until I was in my late 20's and then I started to get acne. This year the acne started to become cystic and started to scar. I'm getting married now in 7 months and decided to try a few more things before I gave up. He had put me on antibiotics which made me get chronic yeast infections (that was fun), then he gave me a topical which did absolutely nothing. I knew my acne was hormonal since i'd never had a pimple in my life until I hit the "baby-making-years." This is, like everyone says, a miracle drug! The only major side effect so far is fatigue; I am very, very sleepy at night, but taking it at bedtime does help a bit. This is amazing!
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March 12, 2009

Pros:

Clear & smooth skin, bigger breasts

Cons:

Urge to urinate comes on super strong with NO warning, EXTREME thirst that also comes on strong with no warning, more tired than usual, almost constant spotting between periods

I've been on Spiro for 2 mos. I've tried EVERYTHING under the sun to clear up my cystic acne. 5 derms in 3 years agreed that my acne was NOT hormonal, so they viewed Spiro as a last resort. I am 30 and have battled cystic/nodular acne since I was 12 y/o. I have been on: Accutane (worst side effects EVER), Retin-A, minocycline, tetracycline, doxycycline, ziana, differin, clindamycin, duac, etc etc. I've had chemical peels and light therapies, and NOTHING worked. I went on Spiro as a last resort. My skin def. got worse before it got better, but I have not had a pimple in 3 weeks!! I have never been without at least 3 or 4 active cysts on my face at any time. This stuff is amazing - my skin is still healing from past breakouts and it will be a while before all the red spots go away. They say spiro only works for hormonal acne, which they swore mine wasn't, but it cleared up my skin anyway so I'm super happy. Please try this before you give up hope - and give it a few weeks to work.
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March 10, 2009

Pros:

clear skin, you have to wax your eyebrows less often (the hair just doesn't seem to grow back once it's been plucked), no bloating, bigger boobs :]

Cons:

tiredness, occasional dizziness, bloodwork every 6 months (to check potassium levels), frequent need to urinate

The pros outweigh the cons by far with this miracle drug. I used to be on heavy antibiotics, which made me nauseous every morning and didn't even work that well. Spiro really has mild side effects: the dizziness was only for the first few months and I do get tired sometimes, but only when I eat junk and don't exercise. My skin isn't oily at all now, even if I go all day without blotting or washing it. I have skipped my daily shower twice in the past year, and that used to be a definite promise of a breakout the next day, but both times I have woken up with dewy, clear skin. You can't put a price on waking up and feeling beautiful, and not having your skin physically hurt because of pimples. I highly recommend spiro to any girls who have hormonal (cystic, around the mouth/chin) acne.
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March 8, 2009

Pros:

AMAZING PRODUCT. Spiro changed my life and skin but it does effect the voice.

Cons:

I am a professional singer/soprano and noticed it has made my voice raspier and more hoarse. I do love this product and don't quite know what to do because it really cleared up my skin. :(

If your line of work does not involve singing and/or acting,speaking, instructing, then by all means take this product. It works wonders!
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